In The Shadows

Chapter 1: Congress Gets Assassinated

Thunk! Ray's sword hit the bench. She quickly yanked it out of the wood, and looked around.

A roar of determination made her whip around to see a large, burly man running at her, face twisted with rage. Probably a guard for the entrance that ran in when he heard the commotion. His charge was most likely already dead.

She smiled, and ran to meet him. She was ten thousand times stronger, and a million times faster, so she had him pinned to the floor with her sword at his throat in the blink of an eye.

She looked at him, struggling to push her off, and growling in defiance. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and her ears were filled with the thumping of its crazed rhythm.

Her smile widened.

She slid the sword into the sheath on her back, and grabbed a dagger with a deer-bone handle from her belt. She stabbed it through his shirt collar, and stood up.

He wriggled, but Ray had chosen the weakest part of his body and stabbed it through every layer of cloth near it, making it nearly impossible for him to move.

Her gaze shifted away from the man, and scanned the room.

It was a large, rectangular space, with a booth in the front for speaking, and polished, cushioned, wooden benches filling the rest of the space.

Also known as the main chamber in the House of Congress.

The only ones left alive were the rest of her squad, and the smell of fresh blood was thick in the air.

She whistled, and everyone turned to her. She was squad leader, meaning she led missions and reported back to the Council.

"Any injuries?" Ray asked.

Her team shook their heads.

"Alright then. Leave the symbol, and let's head out." She said. "Oh, and could I speak to you, Eva?" She added, nodding at a girl with long, red hair.

They saluted and got to work as Ray walked over to Eva.

She was Ray's assistant/bestie/emotional support/ therapist, and could be counted on for realistic, unfiltered truth and advice.

"What's up?" Eva asked.

"I kinda... left a guy alive." She responded, scratching the back of her neck nervously.

"Seriously?" She said, incredulous. "Oh, let me guess. You got hungry when you heard his heart beating and thought, I'll just save him for later, didn't you?"

"No!... Yes."

Eva sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Well, I suppose it would be a waste to just kill him now. Plus, you haven't eaten anything substantial in at least a week."

Ray shook her head. "What? I was thinking the squad could share. I don't need anything myself. I'm really not hu-" She was interrupted by a loudly grumbling stomach.

"Just go. Give him the message, and then drain him enough that he passes out for a while." Eva said. "You need some food."

Ray was going to argue, but gave in when Eva gave her an I could do this for hours look, she gave in and jogged over to the man.

He was in the same position as before, and he must have been an extremely determined person, because he was still attempting to pull the dagger out of the cloth around his neck.

"Who are you people?" He wheezed.

"Wrong question. You are the only person here."

"What's that supposed to mean? Wait..."

She watched, with dark amusement, as realization, then shock, then fear all washed over him.

His hands pulled at the dagger even harder, and he thrashed, putting all of his energy into the struggle.

"Let me go, monster!"

Ray sighed. "Sorry, not gonna do that. But what I can do is save you from getting in any more trouble."

"Me? In trouble? If anybody is in trouble, it's you! You just killed the entire House of Representatives! You'll get arrested the second the police get here."

"The only life left in this building when the police get here will be you." She paused, then added, "If you're agreeable."

"I'll never do anything for you!"

"Oh, you don't need to do anything. Just give the President a message." She said calmly. "Tell them Vampira is watching."

"What the hell? What are you!?" He said, legs kicking as he yanked at the dagger even harder.

Ray smiled. A genuine, happy smile.

"Now that was the right question. So let me give you the honest answer."

She crouched down near his head, and whispered three words in his ear.

"I'm a vampire."

Then she bit his neck.